ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا امْرَأَتَ نُوحٍ وَامْرَأَتَ لُوطٍ God presents the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot as an example for those who disbelieve. (At-Tahrīm 66:10) We may inquire about the Divine wisdom for mentioning the wives of the Prophets Noah and Lot in the...
Description and Names of The Qur’an 1- How can the Qur’an be defined? The Qur’an is the proper name of the Divine Word which God, may His Majesty be exalted, revealed to Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings. Literally, the word Qur’an can be approached...
The Arabic word wahy literally means to communicate secretly, to decree, to reveal, indicate, to inspire, speak through inspiration or revelation, to suggest, to make signs, to call, to whisper, to write, to hasten. As a term, wahy means God’s communication of His Messages to His Prophets...
The Revelation is not only the Qur’an; Prophet Muhammad received Revelation in addition to the Qur’an. God’s Messenger said, “Beware, I have been given the Qur’an and its like together with it.” This is clear proof of the fact that God’s Messenger received the Revelation from God...
Prophethood is not a quality that can be gained or acquired with effort; rather all Prophets were divinely appointed. If God appointed a person as Prophet, that person was a Prophet even if the people did not believe in him or refused to obey him. Indeed,...
The Revelation was delivered to Prophet Muhammad in the following ways: The commencement of Revelation to the Prophet took the form of reliable dreams ( ru’ya al-sadiqa). Whatever he dreamed happened the following day, in exactly the same way that he had dreamed. Coming in the form...
As far as the Revelation of the Qur’an is concerned, the Prophet served as an envoy between the people and the angel, while the angel fulfilled the same role between God and the Prophet. The Messenger, who had a sensitive but reliant character, was one who...
Certainly their words are quoted and find place in the Qur’an. As we read the Qur’an, we see that the words and thoughts of Prophet Muhammad, other Prophets, peace be upon them all, as well as their people, Satan, the jinn, hypocrites, unbelievers and polytheists and...
The Qur’an certainly could have been revealed as a complete book in one single revelation. But it was revealed in sections over a period of twenty-three years. There are a number of divine reasons for this, including but not limited to the following benefits for God’s servants and...
Most certainly We help Our Messengers, and those who believe, in the life of this world and on the Day when the Witnesses will stand forth (to testify concerning people’s response to the Messengers). (Mu’min 40:51) During the time of the Prophet, the polytheists were indulging in...
The guidance from God comes through the Prophets and the Messengers; they brought with them the Book from God in the language of their people. The fact that the Qur’an was revealed in Arabic is clearly referred to in the following verses: Alif. Lam. Ra. These...
It is quite clear that even a Book with a universal nature must perforce use of the words of one of the many languages in the world so that people can understand teachings of the Book and convey its messages to other people, especially to...
The following are just some of the reasons why the Qur’an is made up of various chapters. It should be noted however, that more important than these is that the Almighty Creator Who sent down the Qur’an has so willed. The fact that the Qur’an is...
We firstly have to be aware that the degree of perfection for every creature has been determined by God’s will and we do not have even the smallest role or share in this determination. Accordingly, we do accept that which Almighty God teaches us to be...
If, for instance, we examine Sura Ikhlas in this respect, we notice that this chapter is of primary importance, declaring God’s Oneness and Absolute Unity. Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, expended great effort to inform the Muslims of the importance of this chapter, encouraging...
The Qur’anic term huruf al-muqatta’at is used for certain Arabic letters that are found at the beginning of several chapters in the Qur’an. There are fourteen different Arabic letters making up thirteen different sets of Qur’anic initials found in various combinations at the beginning of...
In addition to all of the above, the letter sad is frequently used in this chapter within many other words. In Arabic the letter sad is also considered to be a symbol and reflection of patience and self-sufficiency, which are believed to be the Divine Attributes...
This word literally means “clear proof,” “sign,” “evidence,” “warning,” “extraordinary event or people.” As a Qur’anic term a verse is composed of one or more sentences, has a clear beginning and a clear end, and is a constituent part of a Qur’anic chapter. The meaning of...
These two categories of Qur’anic verses are concerned with their meaning; muhkam means established, decisive, while mutashabih means allegorical. a. The meanings of the terms muhkam and mutashabih: The term muhkam literally means “to make something firm and perfect, or to preserve something against defects or errors.” In connection with the...
2. Mutashabih caused by meaning: Sometimes the phenomenon of mutashabih can happen through the meaning. There are a number of examples in the Qur’an that are related to this. For example, the attributes of God, Judgment Day, life after death, the rewards of Heaven, and the...
The Qur’an is not a book that addresses the people of a particular area at a particular time. On the contrary, it is universal, speaking to all people at all times. Accordingly, whatever principles and messages it has brought are able to be grasped and understood...
Let us not forget that God Almighty has clearly explained in the muhkam (perspicuous) verses all the basics of faith, acts of worship, interrelations of human beings and moral principles for which human beings are accountable. Although the genuine purposes of the Qur’an have been...
Human beings dislike repetition, no matter what is being repeated, whether it is the reiteration of words or having the same kind of food every day, even if it is something that they are very fond of. Likewise, people do not enjoy reading texts that are...
Another aim of the repetition in the Qur’an is to openly warn people and to receive a favorable response from the addressee. The Qur’an sometimes repeats certain words in the very same sentence or in two related sentences to heighten the awareness of its audience....
In each and every verse of the Qur’an there is an inimitable and eloquent style; this is apparent in the reminders, admonitions, narratives of bygone nations and in the more prosaic presentation of the truth. This eloquence is a distinctive feature of the Qur’an which...
The Qur’anic verses are not only distinguished by their rhythm and inner harmony, but also by their grandeur. For example, if only a verse about the Flood is studied carefully, it is impossible not to feel this grandeur in the words that have a style...
Upon understanding that Walid was inclined towards the Message, the people of Quraysh said: “Walid has deviated from the path of his forefathers. By God, all the people of the Quraysh will follow him and will deviate from this path.” Abu Jahl heard of this...
No human being has been able to find a defect in the Qur’an and they never will be able to do so. Nothing contrary to pure reason, true science or human psychology has been or will be found in the messages of the Qur’an, in the...
In the Qur’an, God Almighty employs both the first person singular and plural, i.e., “I” and “We”. If we examine the verses in which God uses the first person singular or plural, we see that He uses “I” in cases where only His entity and attributions are involved,...
It is a must to refer to the verses of the Qur’an and the practices of Prophet Muhammad ( Sunna) to see whether a certain action is permissible or not. Reciting the Qur’an while performing the daily prayers, which is one of the five pillars of...
God Almighty granted every Prophet He commissioned miracles in fields in which the people of the time were accomplished. The most miraculous aspect of the Qur’an, revealed at a time when Arab literature was at its peak, was its linguistic perfection. God Almighty employed eloquence as...